How video redefines the online shopping experience and boosts the performance of e-commerce sites?

Selima Bejaoui is a consultant within the Data & Business Consulting practice, involved in e-commerce projects in the retail sector. She shares her insights on the impact of video format on e-commerce site performance.

Key Takeaways

• Video is emerging as consumers’ preferred medium for discovering products and services.
• Its integration into product pages increases buyer trust and drives conversions.
• Technological advancements, notably 5G and generative AI, are democratizing its use.

The use of video in e-commerce has become essential. Consumers favor this format, seeing it as a preferred way to explore a brand’s products and services. In 2023, 91% of them watched a video to learn more about a product or service.

For a long time, integrating videos on e-commerce sites could hinder page load times, leading to lower conversion rates. In 2022, slow load times were the top source of frustration for online shoppers, potentially reducing engagement by up to 15%.

Today, with the advent of technologies like 5G, data can be transmitted up to 100 times faster than with 4G, enabling near-instant website load times.

Generative AI also plays a key role in the democratization of video, simplifying and reducing content creation costs. 75% of marketing professionals have adopted this technology to create or edit videos.

The video format has become consumers’ favorite type of content.

Video has significantly gained in popularity, becoming the most consumed content format on the internet. Today, more and more product pages feature videos, driven by customer enthusiasm for this type of content. Video offers a comprehensive and dynamic presentation of products, allowing customers to view them from different angles and, in some cases, see them in real-life usage contexts.

A study by Wyzow reveals that 44% of consumers prefer to watch a short video to discover a product or service, with this preference far outweighing other formats such as manuals, infographics, or articles.

A format that offers a better shopping experience and improves conversion

The rise of video in e-commerce is driven by the ongoing pursuit of a better user experience. By providing consumers with a more tangible view of the product, videos help reduce uncertainty in the purchasing process. In fact, 82% of consumers were convinced to buy a product after watching a video.

Video content also offers a strong ROI for brands that use it. 86% of marketers report that it has improved traffic to their products, while 87% have seen an increase in sales. 

Some use cases for utilizing video format

• Highlighting videos on product pages and Brand Stores: the case of Amazon

For a long time, Amazon limited the use of videos, considering that the financial benefits were outweighed by hosting costs. However, the e-commerce giant now encourages the integration of video content on product pages, particularly through its enhanced A+ content solution. These demonstration videos allow customers to see products from different angles and in various usage contexts.

Amazon also encourages brands to add video content to their Brand Stores to showcase their universe and enhance customer engagement. According to internal data, advertisers who add a video to their Store see an average increase of 44% in the duration of buyer visits.

• Strengthening customer trust and engagement through consumer videos

Consumers are increasingly favoring user-generated content (UGC). In fact, 92% of them state that they trust content created by their peers more than content created by brands. UGC is often perceived as more authentic and serves as an excellent lever for improving customer engagement. Integrating consumer videos on an e-commerce site can be done through various formats: testimonials, unboxings, immersive videos, etc.

Using video customer reviews can be an effective way to reassure consumers and increase sales. Product pages containing video reviews have a conversion rate 3.5 times higher. For example, Amazon encourages its customers to publish testimonials and videos through its “Vine” testing club.

Petit Bateau has also engaged its customers to feature consumer videos on its site. The brand invited its community to create videos that were subsequently posted on the product pages of its flagship items. The product pages in question saw their sales increase by 10% following the addition of the videos.

The democratization of video in e-commerce meets the growing consumer demand for dynamic and informative content. Its impact on the shopping experience and conversion rates makes it a powerful marketing tool for showcasing products and strengthening brand awareness among customers.

Converteo supports its clients in framing their e-commerce strategy and managing their operations. Don’t hesitate to reach out to our services to optimize the performance of your online retail sites.

Sources : 

• Video Marketing Statistics Report 2024, Wyzowl
• Digital Experience Benchmark 2024, Contentsquare
• Données internes Amazon, États-Unis, de février à octobre 2021
• Skeepers – Consumer vidéos